GENDER DIFFERENCES IN BELIEFS OF WHY WOMEN LIVE LONGER THAN MEN

Research supports an interaction of biological and sociocultural facto rs to account for why women live longer than men. This study investiga ted whether men and women of college age have similar attributions for this difference in longevity. Responses to an open-ended questionnair e by 507 college-aged students confirmed a significant gender differen ce in attribution of life expectancy. Young men attributed such differ ences to greater physical labor of men and the less stressful life of women. Young women, in contrast, thought women took better care of the ir health.